News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| The Ranger and the Man In Yellow Boots by Cairistiona | 14 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Lexilooper | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/29/2026 |
| "I am... exploring the world, I guess you might say," Aragorn said softly. And trying to sort out my thoughts before taking on my new life as Chieftain of the Dúnedain, he did not say. <:(( aww he's little and a little scared That would open up a line of conversation he did not feel up to pursuing at the moment. He winced as he adjusted the cold, wet cloth he held on the back of his head. He wondered if he'd cracked his skull. After three tries getting to his feet, he had finally wobbled and staggered up the bank and down a track through the trees, supported on one side by Tom and the other by Goldberry, until finally they reached a small cottage. Aragorn had never been so relieved to sink into a chair in his life. yesss awwww them supporting him on either side <3 and even then finding it very taxing to walk <3 "How old are you, Aragorn son of Arathorn, intrepid explorer of Arda?" Tom asked. He nodded his thanks to Goldberry as she handed him a steaming cup of tea. loll awww I love Tom's description of him, giving all the names he gives himself. plus adding "intrepid" :) "I passed my twentieth year some seven months ago." HE IS A BABY the fact that he's about to become Chieftain of the Dunedain already, as wise and experienced as he is even in youth...he's still a baby. Like, he is EXACTLY my age. Off by literally a few weeks at most. I'll be seven months past twenty in a couple weeks. But he is going to be leader of a people who tends to live...like twice as long as the people *I* live among. And I still couldn't imagine becoming governor or something. I suppose when it's by descent it's more natural, that's a normal enough age for a king or queen sometimes, but still. "You speak with the accent of Rivendell. Which makes sense, as I imagine you lived there as a child. Most of the chieftains do." yesss Aragorn's jaw dropped, and then he snapped it shut. Tom merely chuckled. "Your wits must be addled if you're so surprised that I know the significance of your name. If you knew me, you would not be so taken aback: skadshsskj XD yes "For old is Old Tom, more ancient than thee, The comings and goings of all has he seen. The light of the stars, the light of the Trees, All Anor and Ithil's long chase has watched, he. ANOR AND ITHIL'S CHASE hehe yes The Firstborn and Hobbits and Ents has he known, Old Men and young Men who've sat upon thrones, Yet none bring such sorrow to heart and to home Than those kings long forgotten, walking alone." SKADHSGKHSDFHDS <3333 <:((( thank youuuuu Tom Bombadil eldest of all for appreciating the sorrow of their story and loneliness <3333 forgotten and walking alone, those great and kind kings of men, is really so sad and I love that he knows and says <3 also GOOD JOB with his poetry and dialogue. A daunting task, to portray Tom accurately, and you do it well. And again, the merry light in Tom's eyes dimmed, replaced by something deeper and more knowing. "Wandering, wandering, bereft of their crown, yet faithful and humble they're yet to be found," he sang softly, then his voice faded away and in the silence it seemed that all of the sad and august history of the Númenórean line of Kings looked down upon them in the quiet room. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaskdhkdshgdkhsfkhdskjhgsdfkgs wow he really brings their vibe bereft of their crown yet faithful and humble they're yet to be found <:((( <3333 yesssss they are indeed how we love them even if the world does not know them wandering, wandering twice yes Aragorn shivered. Never, aside from the moment he first spied Arwen, had he felt so small and insignificant and unworthy of the mantle so recently laid upon him. <:((( SINCE HE FIRST SPIED ARWEN OKAY WAIT ALSO HE'S A BABY THIS IS BABY LOVE <3 how long has it been? And imagine the decades ahead to wait <:(. Did she not live in Rivendell when he was growing up? Or did he fall in love at like. 3. Or maybe "first spied" is a bit more like, symbolical. Logically, he understood who he was and what his destiny might be, but tell that to his heart, which still struggled at whiles to accept the idea that he was anything other than an ordinary Dúnadan. <:(( aww I love him, whether or no Tom looked long into his eyes, then his own crinkled at the corners and sparkled again with crystalline laughter. "Ah, now, don't let old Tom scare you. You'll do, young man. You'll do very nicely, I deem." sskadhskdfhsgk awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww <3333 he will indeeddd and I love that Tom sees it and also sees his fears <333 Aragorn wasn't so certain. The unknown loomed vast and wide before him. He really had no idea what the Dúnedain, that remnant of the faithful of Númenor, would think of him, a stranger walking into their midst to claim the chieftaincy. <:(( JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU MEET HALBARAD if you haven't :DDDD <3 skahkshg I can't wait How would they react? Would they accept his claims? Would they believe he was really Arathorn's son? That he was a Dúnedain? What if they heard his voice and, like Tom Bombadil, felt his accent and his speech too strange? His stomach dropped. What if they spoke a dialect he did not know? What if they couldn't understand each other at all? <:(( SKADJHGSKJH HIS FEARS ANGST I really really really wanna see this meeting now <33 they are much kinder and he much nobler and a natural leader than he gives them or himself credit for. They will see him as he is, and that is more than enough for any good man or woman to accept him as their leader. No, that was foolish, he chided himself. Of course they would not speak some strange language he didn't know; was his own mother not born and raised among them, and had she not ensured Aragorn spoke even the idioms of his people? Still, unease besieged him and made his palms sweat and his stomach hollow out. He bowed his head and stared at his clenched fist, wishing not for the first time that he had the poise and confidence of Elrond and Glorfindel. Neither of them, he was sure, suffered their imaginations to run riot with the distressing notions to which his own was so prone. yesss Gilraen <33 hmm are you sure? I think when it comes to worry over you, at least, their imaginations can still be distressingly loud... "Here now, chin up, young man, surely it's not as bad as all that!" Tom cried, and his laughing command cut through the icy worry so easily that Aragorn had to look up. aww yesss somehow he manages to make things easier, not matter quite so much Tom clapped his hands and beamed at him. "So... Elrond obviously has told you your name and all that goes with it, and he must also have deemed it safe to boot you from the nest to journey forth on the road to your rightful place as chieftain, or I wouldn't have found you here in the forest, sighing at the lilies and dreaming of whatever fair maiden has captured your heart." lollll aww yes Aragorn blushed furiously, his anxiety swamped by excruciating embarrassment. He wasn't sure but what he'd prefer to be overcome with worry. He swallowed. "Yes, sir. He told me who I am just a few months ago." Although a fine job I'm doing of living up to my heritage, falling down the river bank like a drunken fool. "I... a chieftain should not lose himself in daydreams like that. I was clumsy and not paying attention, and I dare not make those kinds of mistakes." hmm only a few months ago...I never quite thought about WHEN Elrond or Gilraen told Aragorn who he was or what he was to do, I kind of assumed he grew up knowing to a degree. That would be very overwhelming to learn, no wonder he's trying to process "Ah, do not be so hard on yourself. Merry-derry-doo, a chieftain are you; ring-a-ding dee, someday king you might be... but today, ah yes! Today you are simply a very young man, and young men regularly fall into daydreams and down river banks." He slurped his tea noisily, then let out a laugh. yessssss! "A folly, a dolly, a bob and a bit, �etis the way of the world and every young twit To find moonbeams and love-dreams in coves and in caves And to lose all good sense when a young woman waves." lollllll Aragorn stared at him for a moment, not sure what to think about being called a twit, but then he smiled, and a laugh started in his belly that he couldn't hold back. "I was acting the lovesick fool," he admitted. sdkdhgskd fair XD AWW HE LAUGH NOW <3 "A man honest with himself and not so overfull of pride he can't laugh at his own folly, now there's a good chieftain for the Dúnedain!" Tom grinned at him all the wider. "So tell me, young master, what is it that brought you to the banks of the Withywindle and the threshold of old Tom's lands? Not many venture this far toward the unknown." yesssss I love how he's like...egging him into unintentionally proving how good a chieftain he's going to be XD <3 "I am traveling to my people, as you surmised. I will be meeting the sons of Elrond, who are as brothers to me and who often join my people in hunting orcs, in Archet in a little over a fortnight. They will escort me to the Dúnedain village where my grandparents and an uncle live." awww yayyyyyyy they'll be with him <3333 that makes me very happy "And so in the meantime you figured to dawdle away your time risking life and limb trying to dabble your toes in the Withywindle." loll uh perhaps "I... it looked intriguing." A painfully lame reply, but it was also the truth. He had come up from the south, taking the west turning from The Greenway to Sarn Ford, thinking he might follow that road into the South Farthing of the Shire, but he found himself growing tired of such tame travel, and he knew he would hardly be welcomed by the good Hobbits of the Shire. Wanting no part of any possible encounter with their bounders, whom Elrond had advised him to respect as he would the border guards of any lands of Big Folk, good advice Elrond <3 he struck into the wild at Sarn Ford and followed the Brandywine, intending to hit the Great East Road on the far side of Buckland. From there he planned to go east again to the Greenway at Bree, where he might spend a night at an inn before heading on to Archet. But when he reached the meeting of the Withywindle and the Brandywine, the smaller river that disappeared into deep woods looked so fascinating he simply had to explore. mmm fair "And after such a tumble, do you wish you'd stuck to the Greenway?" Aragorn smiled faintly and again readjusted the wet cloth he still held against his scalp. "No, sir. I regret only the knock on the head." awwww <3 yay Tom laughed aloud, then leapt to his feet. "Hey dol, merry dol, it's time for something to eat, I think, for we've tales to tell each other, and such long telling and careful listening are hungry work." He seemed to sort of dance and hop as he moved around the room, fairly crackling with energy and vigor, and Aragorn found himself completely enchanted. It was as though he sat in the presence of something elemental, something that was a part of life and a part of Arda in a way that Aragorn or any Man could never be. He found himself envious of Tom, somehow. skshgkhdj FAIR And Goldberry! What a vision of grace she was! He watched her put out platters of bread and bowls of berries and pitchers of cream and good fresh water, and it seemed she countered Tom's every hop and skip and zig and zag with elegance and dignity and the sort of ease that the wind takes blowing through willow fronds. Aragorn blinked and shook his head. Though Arwen sent his thoughts into wild flights of fancy, he was not as a rule one for poetic musings such as that. Maybe it was the blow to the head, but he definitely felt he was under a spell here in Tom Bombadil's house. But as he took a bite of hot buttered bread, offered to him on a plate filled with strawberries drizzled with cream, he realized it was a good spell, indeed. yesssssss the poetic thoughts about them that come to just about anyone by nature of their nature, and it is a good spell indeed <333 And so he relaxed and lost himself in a contented daze that may have come from the bang on the head but he suspected more likely from the enchantment of Tom Bombadil and Goldberry the River-daughter. yepppp it is He ate strawberries and cream and the bread and butter and shivered at tales of mewlips and barrow wights and shadow brides and badgers, and he laughed at tales of boating and swore he would never brand a swan's bill no matter how haughty the bird swam, OOP GOOD LESSON and some time long past sun's setting he found himself nodding and blinking heavy eyelids. He felt more than saw Goldberry take the half-drunk tankard of mead from his hand and he heard as through a muffling blanket her gentle voice urging him to walk to a cot. yayyy <33 this comfort in a home away from home, his first of many, just as the hobbits found. It's a good start to learning there are places of comfort and rest and kindness and welcome on weary journeys and places far from home. He has left Rivendell but he will find many loving people and warm houses yet <3 He cast himself upon it and heard Tom chuckle and then he lost himself in dreams of joining the Dúnedain at last, only to discover he could not speak their language. nooo <:( And when he finally awakened, his headache was gone, but so was Tom Bombadil, and Goldberry said not where he had gone nor when he would return. So after breakfast, he bid Goldberry a thankful farewell and went on his own way, wondering just who it was that he had met, and if dreams carried warnings in their half-remembered wanderings. hmmmmm sad to leave without goodbye but yay <3 | |
| Alaura J. | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/19/2012 |
| I didn't much understand (or, admittedly, care for) Tom before. I didn't see the point of him. But, this tale has completely changed my mind, and everything that needs to be clear is. Thank you for helping me appreciate this delightful guy. I love the authentic poetry, be it silly or beautiful or serious. Do you have any other poems published? Author Reply: Thank you, Alaura! I'm so glad this little story helped you appreciate Tom B! That does my heart good, because I write fanfic in order to find greater meaning in Tolkien's works for myself. Tom is definitely a riddle, isn't he? I can't say that I fully understand his role in Middle-earth, either, although writing this did help me sort out a few things. As for the poetry, no, I don't have any other poems. My writing tends to follow prosey paths rather than poetic, for the most part. To be honest, sometimes poetry mystifies me as much as Tom Bombadil! *g* Thanks again for the review! | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/5/2011 |
| Well, what can I say. Your Tom sounds very Bombadilish. You've managed, to my mind, to capture the essence of both Tom and Goldberry, and also to convey the quiet happiness and tranquility that they both irradiate. I like that your Aragorn though young and so still insecure is wise enough to recognize that Tom is beyond his ken. And the poems sound very Tolkienish too. Author Reply: Thank you, Estelcontar! Tom Bombadil very nearly is beyond my ken, so maybe that's why I was able to write Aragorn so convincingly befuddled and bemused by him. And Aragorn himself at this age is also a challenge to find the balance between confidence and insecurity. He's bound to have have loads of both, really. Glad you enjoyed this chapter! | |
| Darkover | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/29/2011 |
| Dear Cairistiona: This second chapter is well-written too, and I like the way that Aragorn was able to laugh at himself. He was always a character who had an appropriate sense of his own worth, but who also had considerable humility. But personally, I disagree with how he is portrayed throughout much of this chapter. I can understand how, when he is only twenty years old, he might be worried about how he will be a good Chieftain to his people. Someone who is only twenty years old is a mere stripling to both Elves and the long-lived descendants of Numenoreans--as the Dunedain were--alike. But young men of twenty tend to be quite cocky as well, and I suspect a twenty-year-old Aragorn would be closer to "cocky" than to feeling inadequate. As I recall, according to Tolkien, when Aragorn first caught sight of Arwen, he had just that day been informed by Elrond that he was none other than a prince and the hereditary leader of the Dunedain. He was very happy about it, and was singing to himself when he caught sight of Arwen. As I recall, he even bragged just a little about it to the lovely Elf-maid he had just met, before seeing "the light of the Eldar" in her eyes, and realizing that she was much longer-lived than he, and by implication, not especially impressed by any mortal Man, be he prince or no. In other words, I believe a young Aragorn would have sufficient understanding and humility--especially after a life lived among Elves--to accept that there are people and things more important than he, but he still would have sufficient belief in himself and in his own title to believe that he could handle just about anything. I also am puzzled as to why he would think that the Dunedain would not understand his language. Both his mother and Elrond would undoubtedly make sure he was more than fluent in Westron, or whatever the Dunedain spoke, and Elrond would probably make certain Aragorn learned to speak most other languages of Middle-earth as well. I suspect in this you were being influenced by the portrayal of Aragorn in the PJ movies. I loved the movies because they were well-acted, exciting, and paid homage to Tolkien, but there is no denying that in many respects, characterization included, they were very different from Tolkien's books--and nowhere more so than in the portrayal of Aragorn! Aragorn most definitely wanted to be king, and I suspect that even as a very young man, he would have had few doubts about his capability to rule. That is just my opinion, and let me reassert that I am enjoying this story thus far. You have had a good idea for a plot, and I eagerly await the next and final chapter. Thanks for writing and posting this. Sincerely, Darkover Author Reply: Thank you for your thoughtful comments on my story, Darkover. I can't say I really agree with your assessment that Aragorn would be cocky, nor can I really agree that my take on him at this age is influenced by the movies. I didn't write him as running away from his responsibilities as the movies portray him, but simply as a responsible young man having understandable "last minute jitters". You refer to the moment of his high heart upon hearing of his destiny and then of him seeing Arwen and bragging of his heritage as evidence he might have been closer to a typical cocky young man than one with any doubts. In that moment, you may very well be right. He may have been "cocky" for those moments when he first spied Arwen but afterwards, as you say, he was abashed and turned thoughtful and quiet. Add to that the admonitions he received both from his mother and from Elrond, and I'm sure that "cocky" was driven far from him. But what remained? Humility, yes, but not a shell of a man, obviously (and I don't think my story takes him that low), nor a man like in the movies who completely runs from his duty and destiny. But young men, even confident young man, also suffer the pangs of insecurity that can bring them as low as the moments of affirmation can send them soaring. That's the nature of young people--they tend to swing from one extreme to another before time and experience teach them that it's not "all or nothing". I think Aragorn was not immune to those types of emotional swings any more than any other upstanding young man. In addition, I'm exploring with this story the idea of "panic dreams", which we've all had and which I think even Aragorn might have suffered. Panic dreams follow no logic, but they can be very unsettling nonetheless. And if you recall from the chapter, he immediately chides himself for the very thing you take umbrage with: he knows how silly and illogical it is to think they won't understand him. But yet the *emotion* will still be there, and he still needs to work through that and will continue to work through it in the next chapter. Aragorn is exceptional, there's no doubt, but he's not immune to fear and uncertainty; there are many instances in the books that show him struggling to decide the best course--he's no automaton hero that always makes the right decision instantaneously or without much thought or at times even agonizing inner debate. His strength shows, however, in how resolute he becomes after finally making the hard-fought-for decision--once he decides on a course, he sticks it through to the end. And indeed, I think it's those inner moments of doubt (again, *not* the doubt the movies used but the doubt of any humble man in examining himself and wondering if he'll truly be up to the task) that keep him from being insufferably arrogant. Lastly, we must remember that the man of the Fellowship is not the young, largely untested man of this story... the young man in this story, who again, is not cocky or arrogant, is still becoming that resolute, strong-minded leader, and I don't think it's out of character to look at a scenario that shows him having some last minute moments of unease and insecurity. Seeing how much you took exception to in this chapter, I don't know that you'll find the next chapter to your taste, but I do hope you give it a chance in light of the arguments I've presented here. If not, then vive la difference in interpreting these grey shaded realms of canon, and perhaps you'll enjoy whatever story I come up with next better. :) | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/29/2011 |
| Poor Aragorn, it must have been daunting meeting his people for the first time. I like it that Tom sees his quality. Author Reply: Thank you, Linda... I agree completely. I think even the most confident person would quail a bit before stepping into such a huge role as Chieftain, so I like to think that Aragorn had unexpected support from any number of people along his way. | |
| Minerva Organa | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/28/2011 |
| Beauteous! Delightful, fabulous, and all those other praise-worthy words. Seriously though, I love your rendition of a younger Aragorn. He's got all the proper insecurities and stumblings (quite literally) of a young man with a great weight on his shoulders, and it's so fitting that it's Tom Bombadil of all people to help make that weight seem a bit lighter. Love it! And since I can't reply to author replies, I do sometimes wish that I'd thought to make my LJ name and pen name the same, LOL! It'd be a bit less confusing, wouldn't it? Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the 2nd chapter... young-man Aragorn is a little tricky to write. Make him *too* insecure and he's not Aragorn; make him too *secure* and he can come across as all wrong for his age and arrogant besides. And you know, it was AGES before I realized that you and Suzll on LJ were the same person! LOL! *sigh* I catch on slow, what can I say... | |
| racheschn@yahoo.com | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/27/2011 |
| Hey Aragorn, look what a bump in the head will do to a fella! And all the while I'm sure Aragorn is thinking, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas..I mean... Middle Earth anymore"! "young man" and "day dreaming" and "twit". poor Aragorn. He never hears the end of it. This is such a delight. I love it! I love your Tom. You have captured his essence as Tolkien have written him. PS - I was so excited to see a story from you that I left a review without logging in earlier. Yup that was me, the anonymous reviewer in chapter 1. Author Reply: hee hee... so that was you! *g* I don't mind anonymous reviews when they're nice ones like that (I've had a few snarky ones left anonymously through the years). But I'm glad you spoke up and let me know it was yours. LOL And thank you for this one as well. I imagine in the future, when Aragorn tells the tale of his adventure with Tom Bombadil, he'll gloss over the whole falling-down-the-riverbank part! Wouldn't do for Halbarad or Elladan and Elrohir to find out about that little detail. Glad you like my take on Tom... he ended up being pretty fun to write, surprisingly. I wasn't sure I could do much more than sort of reword what Tolkien already had him saying, but I think I was able to come up with new things about him that still stayed true to the original. I think he's been the hardest Tolkien character so far that I've tried to interpret. Thanks for the review--and for taking off your cloak of invisibility! *g* | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/27/2011 |
| "...but today, ah yes! Today you are simply a very young man, and young men regularly fall into daydreams and down river banks." It's so good for Aragorn to be reminded of that. What a heavy burden for such a young man! You've captured Tom's speech and poetry so beautifully, as well as the spell of being in the presence of he and his Lady. I love how you've woven into Tom's speech the words he later speaks to the hobbits at the Barrow. Lovely story! Author Reply: Thank you, shirebound! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter... Aragorn did need a reminder not to take his occasional foibles so hard. I can imagine he might think he needed to be perfect.at.everything since he was supposed to someday be a king! Thank goodness for the wisdom of elders. :) | |
| Mirach | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/27/2011 |
| Ah, lovely! I'm beginning to see a pattern... A young Dúnadan chieftain is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't pay attention to his surroundings - which leads to the necessity of being rescued by no other than Tom Bombadil himself :D I also wanted to place this story in the time when Aragorn was on the way to take his place as a chieftain, but couldn't find a reason for him to be around the Old Forest, so I decided to move it just a few months later =) I see you found the reason - his own curiousity! I loved the poems you wrote for Tom, especially the line about wandering kings. I only missed some "medical report", because in the evening, Aragorn was barely able to stand, and in the next day he already went on his own way (and Goldberry let him), so I'm not sure how serious his injury actually is. You say the next chapter is the last one? I wonder if we'll meet Tom again, or the Dúnedian already... Author Reply: Thanks, Mirach... glad you liked the poetry and the chapter. :) I figure that in that time after leaving Rivendell, Aragorn likely had to do some soul-searching even as he explored Eriador, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he'd find himself exploring the area around the Withywindle. As for the medical aspects... he really didn't have a horribly bad concussion. He was a bit wobbly at first, hence the help getting to his feet and to the house, but a good night's sleep put him to rights (and maybe a little help from the mysterious Tom who might have a bit of the healer in him? I'll leave that to the imagination...). As I've said in other review replies, the h/c isn't the emphasis in this story, so the effects of the bang on the head are relatively minor this time around. | |
| AzureSkye | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/27/2011 |
| Oh, poor Aragorn. LOL. Thinking the Dunadain speak a different language....No, I think he'll do fine. 'Course, the inside jokes will be quite another thing...but he'll get use to them. Well, as this is a three part fic, I suppose we'll meet the twins and some of the Dunadain next chapter....:) YAY! Author Reply: Thanks, AzureSkye, glad you liked this chapter. Aragorn's imagination really is starting to run away with him, isn't it! And who can blame it... it's a huge step he's about to take. We'll see if he can keep a stern rein on it. :) | |